The House of Representatives passed the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act mostly along party lines Wednesday.
The legislation, introduced by Republican Missouri Rep. Ann Wagner, requires healthcare providers to treat infants born after abortions as they would any other patient. All 219 voting Republicans and one Democrat supported the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, while 210 Democrats opposed it.
Republicans introduced a similar version of the bill in 2019, although Democrats in both the House and the Senate blocked it. (RELATED: Dems Melt Down Over Bill Protecting Babies Born Alive After Botched Abortions)
“All children should be welcomed with joy and wonder, no matter the circumstances of their birth. And yet, too many of these sweet little ones are denied the medical care they need to survive and thrive simply because they were unwanted. This commonsense legislation will require health care providers to administer the same level of care to the babies who survive abortions that they would to any other child born at the same gestational age,” Wagner said in a floor speech.
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Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York is unlikely to bring the legislation up for a vote in the Senate.
“Republicans are using the ‘born alive’ inflammatory title to try to chip away at a woman’s right to make a decision about her own body,” Democratic California Rep. Judy Chu said before the vote. “And I think the right to make a decision about your body should be made between you, your family and your doctor.”
Anti-abortion activists praised the vote.
“Our government’s most sacred duty is to safeguard the lives of all Americans. We thank GOP leadership for recognizing the federal government’s crucial role in protecting our most vulnerable children and their mothers in the Dobbs era,” Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser said in a statement.
“The March for Life is grateful to House Republicans for prioritizing commonsense and compassionate pro-life bills in the new Congress. This includes a resolution that publicly condemns the rash of violent attacks against churches and pro-life organizations which simply exist to support women in need who choose life, as well as legislation that protects babies born alive after failed abortions,” March for Life President Jeanne Mancini added.
Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy brought the legislation up for a vote as part of an agreement with 20 Republicans who initially opposed his ascension to the gavel. The House’s rules package also requires votes prohibiting taxpayer funding of abortion and prohibiting oil sales from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to China. A bill eliminating funding that the Internal Revenue Service would use to hire 87,000 new agents passed the House on Tuesday.
